Eight feared dead after Russia sinks Chinese cargo ship

Antaletriangle · 02-20-2009, 01:10 PM

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/ne...p__2nd_Roundup

Beijing - Eight crew were feared dead after Russian Coast Guard vessels fired on a Chinese ship that was fleeing port after a dispute over a rice cargo, Chinese and Russian sources said Thursday.

China's Foreign Ministry said the cargo ship New Star sank Saturday off Russia's eastern port of Nakhodka in waters close to Japan.

The Hong Kong-based owner of the ship on Thursday accused Russian officials of covering up an 'act of murder' by a warship.

'Their account does not mention the fact that their warship fired on our cargo ship,' the Chinese government website china.org quoted a statement by the J-Rui Lucky Shipping Company as saying.

'What they are portraying as a rescue was in fact an act of murder,' the statement said.

J-Rui said it had leased the New Star since 2006 to the Tongyu shipping company, based in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang.

Chinese and Russian media reports said the Russian Coast Guard opened fire after the ship ignored warnings to return to port.

China's Global Times newspaper said at least one sailor was shot dead before the ship sank.

Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said eight crew died at sea after the Sierra Leone-flagged vessel sank during a storm.

The ship had tried to deliver a cargo of rice, but a Russian buyer refused to accept the rice because of quality concerns, both reports said.

Tonggyu ordered the captain to flee Russian waters because it feared legal action, the Russian agency quoted local prosecutors as saying.

The ship then left port without permission and 'crossed the Russian border illegally,' local police told the agency.

The 16 Indonesian and Chinese crew entered life rafts after the ship began sinking and eight were rescued by a Russian ship, the report said.

Attempts to save the other eight crew 'failed when they were washed out to sea and drowned,' it said.

The Global Times said the New Star was sequestered in Nakhodka for 'alleged smuggling,' a charged rejected by J-Rui.

The newspaper said a Russian Coast Guard cruiser fired at least 500 rounds on the ship and 'forced it to sail back toward the port in force-6 winds.'

The ship began to sink on the way back to port and one of the two lifeboats was engulfed by high waves, the newspaper said.

It said three of the eight missing crew were Chinese and the rest were Indonesian.

China's Foreign Ministry gave different numbers for the crew and missing, saying three of the 10 Chinese crew on board were rescued and seven were missing.

Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Thursday said Chinese officials had urged Russia to 'spare no effort to help search for the missing crew members and quickly find out the causes of the incident.'

The J-Rui statement said Russian navy officers 'did not offer any assistance to the crew of the New Star to board the warship,' while the Global Times said the Chinese ship did not send an SOS signal to the Russian Coast Guard.

Russian prosecutors were investigating the conduct of the Coast Guard officers in the incident, RIA Novosti said.

02-20-2009, 01:10 PM	#1
Antaletriangle Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.K. Posts: 3,380	Eight feared dead after Russia sinks Chinese cargo ship http://www.monstersandcritics.com/ne...p__2nd_Roundup Beijing - Eight crew were feared dead after Russian Coast Guard vessels fired on a Chinese ship that was fleeing port after a dispute over a rice cargo, Chinese and Russian sources said Thursday. China's Foreign Ministry said the cargo ship New Star sank Saturday off Russia's eastern port of Nakhodka in waters close to Japan. The Hong Kong-based owner of the ship on Thursday accused Russian officials of covering up an 'act of murder' by a warship. 'Their account does not mention the fact that their warship fired on our cargo ship,' the Chinese government website china.org quoted a statement by the J-Rui Lucky Shipping Company as saying. 'What they are portraying as a rescue was in fact an act of murder,' the statement said. J-Rui said it had leased the New Star since 2006 to the Tongyu shipping company, based in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. Chinese and Russian media reports said the Russian Coast Guard opened fire after the ship ignored warnings to return to port. China's Global Times newspaper said at least one sailor was shot dead before the ship sank. Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said eight crew died at sea after the Sierra Leone-flagged vessel sank during a storm. The ship had tried to deliver a cargo of rice, but a Russian buyer refused to accept the rice because of quality concerns, both reports said. Tonggyu ordered the captain to flee Russian waters because it feared legal action, the Russian agency quoted local prosecutors as saying. The ship then left port without permission and 'crossed the Russian border illegally,' local police told the agency. The 16 Indonesian and Chinese crew entered life rafts after the ship began sinking and eight were rescued by a Russian ship, the report said. Attempts to save the other eight crew 'failed when they were washed out to sea and drowned,' it said. The Global Times said the New Star was sequestered in Nakhodka for 'alleged smuggling,' a charged rejected by J-Rui. The newspaper said a Russian Coast Guard cruiser fired at least 500 rounds on the ship and 'forced it to sail back toward the port in force-6 winds.' The ship began to sink on the way back to port and one of the two lifeboats was engulfed by high waves, the newspaper said. It said three of the eight missing crew were Chinese and the rest were Indonesian. China's Foreign Ministry gave different numbers for the crew and missing, saying three of the 10 Chinese crew on board were rescued and seven were missing. Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Thursday said Chinese officials had urged Russia to 'spare no effort to help search for the missing crew members and quickly find out the causes of the incident.' The J-Rui statement said Russian navy officers 'did not offer any assistance to the crew of the New Star to board the warship,' while the Global Times said the Chinese ship did not send an SOS signal to the Russian Coast Guard. Russian prosecutors were investigating the conduct of the Coast Guard officers in the incident, RIA Novosti said.